High School

Grayson Rigdon, small-school Texas high school football phenom, shines in 11-man debut

Air Force commit rushes for 255 yards, 3 TDs in dazzling UIL Week 1; Columbus blows out Cuero

Andy Buhler

Benjamin's Grayson Rigdon wins Offensive MVP during the UIL Texas state title championship game on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023 at AT&T Stadium.
Benjamin's Grayson Rigdon wins Offensive MVP during the UIL Texas state title championship game on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023 at AT&T Stadium. / Naomi Skinner/Times Record News / USA TODAY NETWORK

When news broke that Grayson Rigdon, regarded as maybe the best 6-man player in Texas high school football history, was transferring to the 11-man ranks, he leaned into the noise.

"Expect a lot of exciting plays," Rigdon, who has never lost a high school football game, told SBLive in July.

The first glimpse didn't disappoint.

As Columbus thrashed Cuero to the tune of 65-24 to open the season on Friday, Rigdon had no trouble standing out in his first 11-man action, rushing for 255 yards on 14 carries (that's 18 yards per carry for those without an abacus) and scored three touchdowns. Rigdon is 46-0 as a high schooler.

His longest touchdown — a 71-yard run — came in the first quarter when he took a hand-off up the middle, cut past two idle linebackers, juked a defensive back and hustled past four Cuero defenders untouched.

He went untouched on his final touchdown as well, a 10-yard screen pass from Schobel to put Columbus up 50-17 in the third quarter.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Air Force commit featured at quarterback, running back, receiver and everything in between in the 6-man ranks, begging the question: How would he factor in at Columbus?

With TCU-committed quarterback Adam Schobel (2,405 pass yards, 30 TDs as a junior) under center for the Cardinals, wide receiver or slot penciled out. Or some sort of backfield/wideout hybrid role.

It was from the backfield where he made the biggest difference.

Rigdon has won three straight 6-man state titles, first at Strawn then two at Benjamin. Columbus reached the third round of the 3A UIL 3A Division I playoffs.

Columbus hosts La Grange (1-0) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. (Central time) in Week 2, the same time Cuero plays at La Vernia.

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More Week 1 Texas high school football

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-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx

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Andy Buhler
ANDY BUHLER

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.

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